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| | | East Phillips' Urban Farm Dream Is Still Alive | When the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute failed to meet a critical funding deadline last November, it seemed like the end of the road for plans to turn the old Roof Depot site into an urban farm and community hub. Although the EPNI failed to come up with the full $11.82 million to purchase the property from the city of Minneapolis, the city has agreed to sell half of the site for $6.12 million. [East Phillips Neighborhood Institute] | - Some background: The EPNI had reached an agreement in 2023 to purchase the Roof Depot site from the city of Minneapolis, with $7.7 million pledged from state lawmakers to make the deal viable. However, the legislature never formally approved the funding, and the EPNI was unable to secure the full amount to purchase the site. [MPR / MinnPost]
- The vision: The EPNI still hopes to secure ownership of the entire Roof Depot site, where they plan to transform the empty warehouse into a solar-powered community hub with an indoor farm and local retail and business spaces. The EPNI also wants to heal the land surrounding the facility by cleaning up industrial pollution, building an outdoor farm on the existing parking lot, and returning the land to the residents of Little Earth of United Tribes. [East Phillips Neighborhood Institute]
- What's next: The EPNI has accepted the offer from the city to purchase half of the facility and will have access to start farming as early as this summer. The city has also agreed to deconstruct their half of the site rather than demolishing it – neighborhood advocates had been worried that demolition would release dangerous pollutants into the surrounding area, and deconstruction would avoid that. The EPNI hopes to keep the full site intact for another year while they continue to pursue ownership of the entire site. [East Phillips Neighborhood Institute]
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| | | Founded in 1998, Jeremiah Program Minneapolis is dedicated to disrupting the cycle of poverty for single mothers and their children by supporting mothers as they pursue higher education and career pathways while providing their children with high-quality early childhood education. Learn more and find opportunities to get involved. | |
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| What the Cities Are Talking About |
| Election 2026: As the Senate debates the SAVE Act in D.C., anxieties around election security are high among both Democrats and Republicans. On today's episode of the podcast, we talked with Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, who is in charge of our elections. Simon said that his goal is for "low drama and high turnout" in November, and he believes we're on track to achieve that. [🎧 City Cast Twin Cities] | | Let's ride: The Lynx will have a chance to win yet another WNBA title. Following tense negotiations between the WNBA and its players' union that could have derailed this year's entire WNBA season, an agreement in principle has been reached that will allow the season to go on and is expected to significantly increase player salaries. The season starts May 10 at Target Center. [MPR] | | What's next for mutual aid? With fewer federal immigration agents now operating in the Twin Cities, many mutual aid groups are shifting from emergency response to long-term support. Organizers say demand for help with rent, food, and basic needs remains high even as donations slow and volunteers burn out, raising questions about what happens as attention to the crisis fades. Some groups are now focusing on building more permanent systems, while others worry the safety net they created may be difficult to maintain without broader public funding. [MinnPost] | | | Allina Health acquired: Allina Health plans to join California-based Sutter Health, creating a $26 billion system. Allina Health CEO Lisa Shannon says that the move will help them grow their systems and capabilities faster than they'd be able to on their own, but two unions representing workers at Allina Health expressed hesitation in a statement, saying “increased consolidation and out-of-touch, overpaid executives have too often moved us backwards in recent years.” [Star Tribune] | | Minneapolis sued over MPD, again: A conservative legal group has filed a lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis, alleging that Mayor Jacob Frey has failed to comply with a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling that requires the city to employ 17 officers per 10,000 residents. MPD currently employs 617 officers, but the lawsuit says there needs to be 731 officers to be in compliance. The city was sued for the same reason in 2022, but the plaintiffs ultimately dropped the case because they believed the city was moving in the right direction. [MPR] |
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| | Thursday, Mar 19 | | | Friday, Mar 20 | | | |
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| | | Skip the stress and keep the magic. Simply Eloped offers curated elopement and vow renewal packages in stunning destinations nationwide, so you can celebrate your love story, your way. | |
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Big thanks to our reader, Georgia, for drawing our attention to this cool We Are All Minnesota cycling kit that's being sold through BikeMN. The kit was designed by Georgia's husband, Rodrigo, who is a Mexican immigrant and Minneapolis resident, and all proceeds from the kits go directly to the International Institute of Minnesota. The online store closes on March 23. | | — Adam Sage |
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